BMW 325e

The BMW 325e was first released in the United States in 1985, in both a two and four door model. It joined the 318i as the second BMW to use the e30chassis. It came standard with a 2.7 litre SOHCstraight-six, producing 121 bhp @ 4800 RPM and 170 lb ft @ 3200 RPM. Production of the 325e and its variants, the 325 and the 325es, continued until 1989, when all 325s were equipped with the more powerful 2.5 litre inline six.

The theory behind the 325e (the 'e' stands for 'eta') was that large amounts of low-end torque would make up for lower horsepower, allowing for good performance combined with good fuel economy. The M20 B27 power plant is very rugged and reliable, but is not as fast as the 2.5 litre M20 B25 motor, which produced almost the same amount of torque, but developed 170 bhp.

The general longevity of BMWengineering combined with the reliability of the B27 motor means that many 325e model BMWs are still on the road. They can be had for $1500-$3000 (or less, if the buyer is willing to do repairs), and will still provide years of reliable transportation. Problem areas include leaky trunk and tail light gaskets, some idle issues caused by failing cold-start injectors and idle control units, and breaking timing belts.

(the author makes no claims regarding the accuracy of this information - it's not my fault if you can't tell a metric wrench from a hole in the wall, and i will not be held responsible by the use of this information)